Meal Plans and Ideas!

People always say, “Abs are made in the kitchen!” and they are right. Eating to fuel your body is a huge part of whether you successfully reach your fitness or weightloss goals. I love pinning great meal ideas on Pinterest and looking for fun and delicious ideas for my kids! Below are some of my favorites! Click on the titles for the direct website!

​Ingredients:6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breastsMarinade:1 16 oz. bottle Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (You can probably use any type of Italian dressing made with olive oil as long as it's not low fat)1 pkg. Zesty Italian dressing mix (powdered mix)1 T Spike Seasoning (or less, this is optional but good. You can use other all purpose seasoning mixes if you have one you like)Coarse ground black pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp.)

​Instructions:Trim all visible fat and membranes from chicken breasts, then cut small crosswise slits about 1/2 inch apart down the length of each chicken breast.Combine marinade ingredients and mix together. (You can pour out a bit of the dressing and combine ingredients in the bottle, then shake well.) Put chicken in single layer in a ziploc bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Marinate chicken in the refrigerator 6 hours or longer.

To cook, remove chicken from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Spray grill with non-stick spray or olive oil, then preheat to medium high. (You can only hold your hand there for 2-3 seconds at that heat.) Have a spray bottle ready to spray flames which may shoot up when chicken is first put on the grill. Drain chicken, then put it on the grill with slit side down , rotating after a few minutes for best grill marks. Grill 10-20 minutes, turning every few minutes, until chicken is well browned and firm but not hard to the touch. (Don't baste chicken with reserved marinade which contains bacteria from the raw chicken.) Actual cooking time will depend on how hot your grill is, temperature of the chicken, and even air temperature if you're cooking outside, but I cooked the chicken in the photo about 13 minutes.(This same marinade recipe can be used on chicken-veggie kabobs or chicken-veggie tin foil dinners.)Recipe from: Kalynskitchen.com

Instructions:​In a large glass baking dish, combine oil, lime juice, garlic, honey, cumin, chipotle powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.Pat chicken dry with paper towel, then add to baking dish and turn to coat. Let marinate in fridge for 2 or 3 hours, turning occasionally.Preheat grill to medium heat. Place chicken on grill, skin-side down and place cover on grill (should be well ventilated). Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until skin is golden and crisp.Turn chicken over and cook for 5 more minutes, then check for doneness. Insert an instant read thermometer into thickest part of chicken without touching bone.Fully cooked chicken should reach 165F. If not, cook 3 to 5 minutes more, until done.

2. Grill the chicken: Preheat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Remove chicken from marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken on grill. Cover and cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer should read 175° when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken). If chicken is browning too quickly, move to cooler parts of grill or turn grill to low heat.

Tips: Chicken grills up best when it's an even thickness throughout the breast. Take the time to pound out the breasts slightly (between two pieces of plastic wrap) to even out the thickness.Nutritional Information per serving:

Calories per serving: 188Fat per serving: 5gSaturated Fat per serving: 1gSugar per serving: 1gFiber per serving: 1.3gProtein per serving: 30gCholesterol per serving: ​74mgCarbohydrates per serving: 5g

Directions:1. Add the marinade ingredients to a large resealable freezer bag along with the chicken chunks.Seal the bag, pressing out the excess air. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator 30-60 minutes,turning the bag over a couple of times to make sure that everything is marinating evenly.

2. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator, drizzle a bit of vegetable oil over the vegetables andsprinkle with salt & crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Skewer the chicken, veggies andpineapple evenly onto metalskewers. (If you are using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them inwater for at least 30 minutes prior to assembling the skewers to keep them from burning up onthe grill.)

3. Heat the grill on high heat. Grill the skewers, turning occasionally to brown on allsides, until thechicken and veggies are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve the skewers over cookedbrown rice (if desired), sprinkled with scallion and the sweet chilisauce.

*disclaimer: this recipe is gluten-free, keeping in mind that you need to be sure that ingredients such as soy sauce are gluten-free brands